St Vincent: St Vincent – review

Saturday 22 February 2014 19.04 EST
First published on Saturday 22 February 2014 19.04 EST

Equal parts funky electro throwback and prog chanson monster, St Vincent's fourth album feels like the culmination of a trajectory from the margins to centre stage with a minimum of intellectual loss. These 11 songs are by far Annie Clark's most accessible – check especially the epic Bowie poses of the album's closer, Severed Crossed Fingers, and the heavy riff pop of Regret – but all retain her signature quirks. Rhythm is key here, and on crazed R&B tracks such as Bring Me Your Loves Clark's conservatoire tricks are smuggled in under the guise of party pieces.